Dogs are often referred to as man’s best friend, and for good reason. Dogs are smart, loving, and can be very helpful, even during a widespread disaster. But which breed of dog would be best after the SHTF? With thousands of breeds to choose from, finding a good prepping or survival companion can be a challenge.

While some dog breeds can be trained for multiple purposes, most breeds have instincts that make them better in specific areas. For example, Border Collies are great for keeping track of kids and livestock, but not as good at warning you about trespassers. The breed you choose really depends on your personal preferences and what scenarios you’re planning for.

General Guard Dogs

1. The German Shepherd is an intelligent breed which has been trained for a multitude of purposes. Due to their high intelligence, they are an excellent dual purpose guard dog for preppers. They can be trained to guard your family, to detect certain things, and are friendly and loyal. It has been said that they can be trained to only bark at certain threats. Getting a pup and training it yourself, or getting a well-trained dog is a must. Not all people who breed German Shepherds are able to train them well, so be wise in your choice.

Shepherds, as their name suggests, were originally developed to herd sheep. So while excellent guards, they can also be trained to work with livestock. Any dog you want to work with livestock should be gotten as a puppy and trained with your animals, otherwise your animals will not trust the dog and the dog will not be bonded to your herd.

German Shepherd

2. Rottweilers are another good choice for a guard. Being large working dogs, they need room to be active and must be well trained. Not everyone is suited to training a Rottweiler and it only takes one badly trained dog, or one training oversight, to create a major headache. The Rottweiler needs lots of exercise, and can be an excellent family dog with proper socialization.

Rottweiler

3. The Siberian Huskie is another excellent working dog, able to literally pull its own weight. The challenge with the Huskie is that it is an independent breed who must respect its owner/trainer to be able to work with them. One benefit of the Huskie is that they are not a breed that eats to excess, but will just eat what they need to optimally function. Since Huskies were originally bred in rural areas, they usually work best remaining in similar habits.

Siberian Huskie

4. The Scotch Collie is the ancestor of the modern Collies, and while some of the modern Collie breeds have had many of their instincts largely bred out, the Scotch collie still retains its hunting, herding, and guarding instincts. Border Collies mostly have the herding and guard instinct, but aren’t as good for hunting. Scotch Collies, on the other hand, can do it all because they were originally bred as all-purpose dogs. Collies require lots of space and exercise. If they are cooped up in a bugging-in scenario, they could create havoc with their excess energy.

Scotch Collie

Hunting Dogs

5. Retrievers – There are several breeds of Retriever. Golden retriever comes to mind, but there are many others. These breeds have a retrieving instinct that can be useful around the homestead, for fetching and assisting indoors, and for hunting.

Retrievers are one of the many breeds used for bird hunting, though any hunting dog should be trained so that they are not gun shy. They can also be trained to collect the eggs, though they may get smart and figure out that if they drop an egg they get to eat it. I know of one Retriever who would fetch 5 eggs and always drop the 6th one.

Golden Retriever

6. Pointers – Another bird hunting dog, these are also good dogs for noticing sneaking predators, though they won’t chase them off. Pointers will point out the location of a game bird, and can usually be trained to also retrieve it. They have good eyes, and can notice intruders or predators well in advance.

Both Pointers and Retrievers can be good family dogs, and they cooperate well with livestock. As these are working dogs, they like activity and the freedom to roam. They can also be trained as an intruder alert system, though they may not be as threatening as the guard breeds.

German Shorthaired Pointer

Livestock Guardian Dogs

7. Great Pyrenees are bred for guarding livestock or people. They are a perfect homestead breed for large or wilderness bordered properties. Great Pyrenees will keep any predator off their territory, and they will even will tag-team to drive off bears and other large predators. The female Great Pyrenees has a smaller territory than the male. A male will range for nearly a square mile, while the female will range about half that.

If you need a dog to drive off human dangers, Great Pyrenees may not work. In livestock guard trials they were the only breed that did not instantly attack humans. However, they are very protective and act aggressive if they do not trust a stranger. Their size and aggressive bark can also be a deterrent.

Pyrenees also have a mind of their own, so if there is something out there, they will not come in and they will not stop barking until it is gone. Pyrenees can be bonded to either your family members, or your animals, and will guard and protect both.

Great Pyrenees

8. The Akbash are similar in appearance and instinct to the Great Pyrenees. However, they are more aggressive toward strange humans than the Pyrenees. Both breeds originated in the same mountains, and were intended to guard livestock from predators and intruders. Akbash are the more aggressive of the two breeds, and typically have a larger guard range. For livestock guarding, a properly bonded and trained Akbash is good to have.

Both these livestock guard breeds have heavy coats, so they might be uncomfortable if you live in a very hot area.

Akbash

Hopefully this post gave you a better idea of what kind of dog you might want to get. If you already have a dog or intend to get one for prepping purposes, make sure your preps include supplies for your dog.

Comments

If I was lost in woods the dog I’d take would be a English springer. Fearless with death grip but loyal to there family. Then I’d take my Jake Russell my black tan coonhounds my doberman and last but not least my German Shepherd. Bring it on my dogs can’t wait to meet you

Why does everyone forget that GSD’s (German Shepherd Dog) is much more than just a herder of livestock and protector of the house? These dogs were originally bred to do EVERYTHING (which is why they became war dogs). They can hunt, track, herd, gaurd not only you and your house but also your livestock, and they can be amazing family dogs. My service dog is 5 almost 6. He is trained to herd my goats (who are a new addition since I’ve only had them 1 year and I’ve had him since a pup), protect them from predators (coyote and other dogs are huge issues), assist me up hills and stairs, wakes up people having nightmares/terrors, detect anxiety attacks and fainting spells (he taught himself that one!), guard whatever I tell him to, and he is learning to chase and kill rats. If it were legal he would easily hunt deer, rabbit, raccoon, and anything else. He’s also trained to be easy to groom (no one plays with their dogs feet enough), tricks like how to shake with both paws, high five, put his paws on my shoulders, jump, retrieve, hand you what’s in his mouth (bending over is hard for me), and a ton of things in forgetting. He’s gentle with kids; even allowing them to poke him in the eyes, ears, nose, or even jump on him without fuss. He never bites or growls at kids or other people; unless they deserve it. He has driven people out of my house without hurting them (important for a service dog). There is no more useful dog than the GSD. I call him my Swiss Army Dog (even though he’s German) for good reason.
But I also got him from a breeder that normally only sells to Police, Military, and Search and Rescue. He failed the courage test so I got him for a song. But because of that, it took much longer and more patience than you would dream. But he is worth everything. He has grown up along side my son and is such a huge part of our lives that my son calls him his “little” furry brother. No one could ever convince me that any dog is better. But they are popular and bad breeders abound so be prepared to spend a year or more looking for a good one and a least $1000.

1) Rhodesian ridgeback – – Originally bread for hunting. Good at guarding. Sooo much speed and stamina that it would easily keep up with a mountain biker over long distances. Very protective of owners. able to withstand dramatic changes of temperature. Few health problems.

When the ship hits the sand, you will not have enough dog food for a year or longer, You will need to have a large cooking pot and the body’s of dead people and or other animals for the dogs. Any time you kill some scum bag or zombie that’s after your Stash or Woman, cook em up, no one will be looking for them. Your dogs are your day and night protection and detection, feed them well. You have been buying ammo for protection, don’t waste the meat.
Dogs eat meat, we have forced them to eat grains with meat flavor.

Oh yes . Black and tan coon dogs should be on this list . Awsome dogs . My father took Joey bear hunting . The dog was fearless . An awsome watch dog and protected the chicken coop like no one’s business. He protected me a several occasions and I have yet seen any dog match his grace , agility , speed and virtuosity. That was one hell of a coon dog

We had two great pyrenees. A male and family . Beautiful dogs , wonderful temperaments . Unfortunately they both died from injuries received. When fighting of a German Shepherd. The German Shepherd for ever reason decided to try and act my small children. The male fight the Shepard while the female stodgy between the children and the other dogs . He drove off the shepherd. Unfortunately his juggler vein was bitten and he bleed to death . The shepherd came back again and the female defended the children again . The female accidentally run over that afternoon by the German Shepherd owner . They also ran over our collie . But their German Shepherd and chow chow how both were highly aggressive dogs disappeared. My brother had repeatedly told the other dog owners that they were causing problems . Like killing our chickens and cats but they did not listen . Some people are very bad dog owners

I would also consider a good hound dog that can track prey and I would stay away from very large dogs they require a lot of food to function. Since I woke be sharing the food supply with them I would look for a Malinois or Dutch shepherd very smart focused dogs who are effective in protection.

We have had 2 male Keeshonds in our family and they are great dogs. They were originally called the Dutch Barge Dog because they were bred to protect the boat while the Captain went ashore. They are 40-50+ Lbs, with a thick double coat (so they appear even larger) are very protective and alert, yet good with other animals and children in the home. Remember in a SHTF scenario you are going to have to feed that LARGE 100+ lb dog too. A smaller breed eats less, while still being large enough to defend the family.

We had a Husky for 16 years and she was very protective. She wouldn’t bark, because Huskies usually don’t, but the one burglar who broke into our house while we were out to dinner and she was home left a pretty significant blood trail as he fled for his life. And when we were at our mountain property she would silently circle any stranger who appeared uninvited. Needless to say they would freeze and call out to us. She had a black mask and ice blue eyes and was beautiful, intelligent–except when it came to porcupines–and a genuine joy as a member of our pack. It’s been ten years and we still miss her, even though we now have another great dog.

between my walker coonhound and my beagle, i got it covered. not all hounds are obsessed with food. my coonie could care less and she will go anywhere. my beagle mix will eat anything but he has the best nose of any dog i’ve owned and is very loyal and fearless.

The best dog I ever had was a German Shepherd Collie mix. He was the runt of a large litter and never got over about 35 pounds but he had the best qualities of both breeds. Fiercely loyal, great herding instincts and one of the best hunting dogs I ever had. Don’t know where that came from except he was always willing to do anything I asked of him.

Opinions will differ and besides all the information on breeds that people assume or accept as absolute and accurate, the fact is that many people ignore what others say and many breeds defy the written profiles and often do more or fall short. There are documented cases of dogs with training doing incredible things and every year somebody buys or adopts a dog of a certain breed and the dog is not nearly the super beast they expect or claim it to be. Training accounts for a lot and many trainers tend to work with one breed or two at most. It’s like learning to use a certain type of sword or driving a certain type of car. You get better by specializing in one thing. Ignore the hype and remember that a dog is not a robot built to perform nor does choosing a certain breed guarantee success even if you are, or think you are a good dog trainer. Remember breeders sell dogs and many dog trainers either mean well, but are just human, are inadequately trained and recite mantra like the self proclaimed guru who trained them, but are totally ineffective. And then there are those that are totally ineffective, clueless fools looking to take your money and either move on or hope you get frustrated and pay them only to leave with a screwed up dog.

APBT and Staffies have high prey drive, tenacity, and because of their muscular build can make good pack animals (as in carrying, not many dogs in a group). They bond well with humans, giving them an innate and strong sense of loyalty and protection, are very good with children, and tend to ignore livestock.

I noticed these were all large dogs but small dogs serve many purposes too. Our Jack Russell is an excellent watch dog, doesn’t back down til called off. He’s an excellent hunter, often bringing mice, squirrels, etc. to show how much he loves us. Ugh In a hunker down situation I think he would work best for older folks; they have a lot of energy but mostly just love their people.

One breed you over looked is the Alaskan Malamute they can pull far more weight then a Siberia Huskie. They also have tons of natural prey drive. They are very fuel efficient eating very little dog food for their size. They are great with kids. Malamutes only wish to be with you and therefore are completely content even on a couch as long as you are there. Bugging in, bugging out, taking down large game or small game, watching the kids or protecting it’s pack from bears the Alaskan Malamute takes it all in stride. I know I wouldn’t be caught without my Mals!

The thing I love about Malamutes are those bright sky blue eyes they can have. If the Malamute has the dark mask across its face, those blue eyes are very piercing. I knew a man who had one like this. It was one the coolest looking dogs I think I have seen.